Seasonal work positions still available throughout winter

Resorts and hotels looking for more employees for busy tourist season

Alexandria Gonzalez , The Park Record

Posted:
12/20/2013 05:37:41 PM MST

More and more visitors are making their way to Park City for Christmas and New Year's Eve, which means the lodging and hospitality industry in town are busier than ever. The addition of seasonal workers has helped manage the chaos, but employers are still looking to hire more.

The Utah Department of Workforce Services is still helping seasonal workers find jobs in town that best suit their qualifications. Nic Dunn, the department's public information officer, said those still looking for work can use the search tool on their website or go into one of their employment centers.

"People can use the search tool to look for jobs in their area or in a certain field," he said. "They can also come in and sit down with a job coach and get help finding the best opportunity that fits their need. These people spend all day every day helping people find work regardless of the time of year or the type of work."

Dunn said the bottom line is that nobody should ever stop looking for work if they want a job, because there is a possibility that an opportunity could come up in the next couple of weeks that they may not have seen if they had stopped looking.

There are currently 98 Park City job listings on the Utah Department of Workforce Services website, and most of them are in the hospitality and lodging industry. Dunn said December is the peak time for hiring, and that each year, from October to December between 7,000 and 9,000 seasonal jobs are created in Summit County.

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The Montage Deer Valley is responsible for some of those new job postings and was scheduled to hold a job fair on Friday, Dec. 20. Kendall Stephens, recruitment manager at Montage, said they are still hiring for quite a few seasonal jobs.

Montage Deer Valley's director of public relations, Dan Howard, said the workers they have already hired are showing a lot of promise when it comes to skill and enthusiasm.

"We are very excited about the quality of the associates we have brought on this season," he said. "We are looking for more associates who aspire to provide service to the most discerning visitors, so if you are an associate who gets really inspired by that challenge and loves the luxury hospitality scene, that is a good match for our culture."

Howard added they have been hiring for months, and they are constantly looking for new employees. They will hold another job fair in February.

Canyons Resort and Deer Valley Resort's official job websites each list 69 positions still available to seasonal workers. Those include positions such as front desk agent, spa concierge, ski and snowboard instructors, cook, server, mechanic and lift operator, among others.

Steve Pastorino, manager of communications at Canyons, said the resort has high expectations for employees.

"Transitioning to Vail Resorts management means a recruiting and hiring process that is completely differently from Talisker's, but all has gone smoothly," Pastorino said. "The process a potential employee would go through is different, but it was a very productive hiring season. We are very excited about the team we have on board.

Park City Mountain Resort's job website also lists several available winter positions, both part-time and full-time. Those include Gorgoza park operator, park patrol, ski and snowboard school staff, lift access checker, and parking attendant.

Seasonal workers not only have to worry about finding employment but finding housing as well. Earlier in the season, Michel Barahof of the Christian Center of Park City told seasonal workers at a "Roommate Roundup" event that it would be difficult for them to find an affordable place to live due to previous renters who were dishonest and damaged the residences they were renting.

However, Stephens said she has not seen employees struggle to find a place to live as much as she had previously predicted. "Everything has gone smoothly, and we have not had any problems," she said.

Montage Deer Valley and Deer Valley Resort have on-site housing available for employees, but it is offered on a first-come, first-serve basis. On-site housing goes very quickly, Stephens said, and was filled back in October. Besides that, Stephens said she has heard few complaints about seasonal employees finding housing.

Overall, Dunn said the unemployment rate in Park City is as low as 3 percent, but those still looking for work can come to him and his co-workers at the Utah Department of Workforce Services for assistance.

"For those coming in from out of the country, anyone who needs help finding a job, we can help them, whether they're Utahns or people from other countries," he said. "We can connect them with whatever opportunities may still be available to suit their needs."

Seasonal workers who are still looking for jobs can visit the Utah Department of Workforce Services at 1960 Sidewinder Dr. #103 or call 649-8451. The three resorts in town also have job listings on their websites at www.deervalley.com , www.canyonsresort.com and www.parkcitymountain.com . For assistance with housing, there is the Christian Center of Park City at 1283 Deer Valley Dr. and 649-2260 or the Mountainlands Community Housing Trust at 1960 Sidewinder Dr., 647-9719 or www.housinghelp.org.

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